Most Popular Bookies in Romania

From oral literature of well-known folktales, like Dracula, to respect for elders, Romania’s culture includes unique customs and behavior. Even gambling in the region dates to the Roman empire era, when soldiers entertained one another by playing dice games.

Today, the country’s citizens fuel one of Europe’s largest gambling hubs. Internet casinos and sportsbooks are catering to a significant number of residents who place wagers and enjoy games of chance. To protect gamblers, the government regulates the industry, requiring licenses and guiding businesses in specific codes of conduct.

Most Popular Bookies in Romania
Everything you need to know about betting in Romania

Everything you need to know about betting in Romania

For one interested in Romania’s betting scene, gambling options are plentiful. From traditional casino table games to slots, Romania’s gambling landscape leverages the power of the internet to expand its reach. Gamblers throughout the country oblige, supporting a vast number of establishments, which continue to pop up across the country.

Digital, online options offer convenient access via computers and mobile phones. In fact, the country’s gambling industry generates more than $2 billion in revenue every year. Even though the house wins a lot, gambling operators continue to attract consumers who enjoy the thrill of gambling online and at traditional establishments. Let’s look at the evolving gambling landscape in Romania, including past, present, and the future of the industry.

Everything you need to know about betting in Romania
Payment methods in Romania

Payment methods in Romania

Well-recognized digital wallets and payment platforms are available for online gamblers in Romania. Casinos and sportsbooks offer popular deposit options, such as Bitcoin, Entropay, Neteller, and PayPal. With these methods, players may transfer money to an online account.

Other less popular but viable payment options are also available. Local banks sometimes offer money transfers to casino accounts. Cryptocurrency is fast becoming a popular option for funding gambling deposits. Before depositing funds, Romanian gamblers should understand an online betting website’s terms of service, odds, and reputation. Checking online reviews is one way to ensure that a bettor is depositing funds with a trustworthy online website.

Payment methods in Romania
The history of Romanian betting

The history of Romanian betting

Since the Roman soldiers played, dice games have been popular in Romania. The area’s Balkan region is steeped in gambling traditions from Ottoman and European areas. Romanian regions came under Ottoman rule in the 15th century. For four hundred years, Ottomans influenced the regions culture, introducing coffee houses, saloons, and other customs, such as card games.
Romania Independence.

In 1859, Romania gained independence. At the time, no gambling regulations existed, and citizens freely played cards and bet on sports. By 1906, Romania developed the nation’s lottery, which is the first licensed and regulated gambling in the country. Like other countries, Romania earmarked lottery proceeds to fund important public programs, such as healthcare and education.

When the Communist Party ruled Romania between 1947 and 1989, it banned gambling in all forms. However, interest in gambling remained and the prohibition only fueled illegal, underground gambling. Gambling operators escaped detection by maintaining small operations and bribing officials to look the other way.
Regulations

In 1989, a new state replaced the Communist Party. By 1990, Romania licensed its first casino, but the government still lacked laws and regulations to govern the industry. A wide variety of betting establishments popped up across the country. Most operated unlicensed. Operators of card rooms, slot parlors, and betting establishments turned Romania into a gambling haven, which many called the “Wild East.” The country reinstated the state lottery by 1999. New laws set aside 60 percent of the net profit for housing, arts, sports, and other projects. In 2009, the revenue for public projects was more than $170 million.

By 2012, the government passed and enforced numerous laws to regulate the industry and collect taxes. Still, that same year industry leaders estimated that the finance ministry only collected 2 percent of the total tax bill due from gambling establishments.

With no framework to ensure gambling operations reported tax winnings, the system lacked the ability to properly manage tax enforcement. By 2013, Romania’s government implemented a higher charge for the fee to enter a gambling establishment. Further, a casino paid nearly $200 for each slot machine it operated. These new fees helped to offset tax money the government missed out on from unscrupulous operators who failed to report all gambling revenue.

The history of Romanian betting
Online gambling

Online gambling

Online gambling gained popularity in the 1990s, after the Communist state’s ousting. With no regulation, online gambling and land-based operations got out of hand. However, even when parliament passed laws to control the gambling sector, government officials failed to follow the regulations.

Betting nowadays in Romania

Today, Romania citizens enjoy government-run lotteries and licensed, land-based, and online casino options. Although, the government still grapples with regulating and controlling an extensive underground market. New laws and regulatory agencies help to temper illegal activity. Romanian’s enjoy traditional casino games and creative, digital play online. Poker, football, and slots are especially popular among those who frequent betting establishments.

With more than 23,000 betting parlors in 2009, Romania noted a growing problem with addiction among its citizens. One expert estimated that at least 10 percent of the population lost money regularly while betting slots. As few addicts ask for help from the government and there’s been no public outcry, lawmakers offer few resolutions to the addiction problem.

Online gambling
Romania’s betting future

Romania’s betting future

Future gambling in Romania looks bright, as the citizens frequent both online and offline betting options. Government regulations allow qualified operators to obtain licensing. By working collaboratively with government officials, Romania’s regulatory agency ensures operators comply with existing laws and pay associated fees. Since gambling benefits the economy, it’s likely legislators shall continue to support legal gambling operations on land and via the internet.

Betting Acts of Romania

Gambling establishments are required to comply with several rules to receive and keep a license. Such requirements include minimum share capital, security deposit for taxes, payment of license tax, and other costs.

Owners must not have of criminal record and a good reputation is mandatory. While no law prohibits the use of celebrities for marketing casinos and other gambling enterprises, guidance from the regulatory body asks operators to refrain from doing so. In addition, licensed venues are subject to the following fees:

  • Authorization tax. Romania requires a 16 percent GGR tax of at least 100,000 EUR a year.
  • License tax. An annual license tax may cost between 6,000-120,000 EUR annually.
  • License fees. When submitting an application, operators are charge three fees, including the fee for the application itself, a fee paid for the file analysis, and a fee for the license issuance.
  • Participation fee. Operators pay a monthly tax for online gambling, which equals 2 percent of total fees each month.

Gambling Bill of 2010

It wasn’t until 2010 that the government passed laws to monitor and control online gambling operators. Betting odds, casino gambling, and bingo were some of the issues the new legislation addressed. It also spelled out tax revenue requirements, which served to increase the yearly budget for the state, protect gambling addicts, and bring foreign investors into the country’s gambling market.

In order to eliminate illegal operators, the bill also provided options for contracting a third-party business to issue licenses and review online gambling businesses. No suitable firm was found to handle the country’s vast number of online operators. By the end of 2010, the country still had not found a way to regulate or obtain tax proceeds from online gambling.
Government Licensing

By 2013, the government used an emergency ordinance to launch a licensing agency. This national office regulated the industry, taxed operators, and issued licenses. Industry experts estimated at the time that the annual revenue would bring nearly $30 million every year to support the government’s budget objectives. Now called the National Gambling Office, the agency works to protect gamblers by maintaining strict controls over industry operators in the region.

Romania’s betting future
FAQs

FAQs

Does Romania have online gambling?

In recent years, online gambling continues to grow in Romania. With nearly 30 licensed websites, Romanians have plenty of choices. Bettors also frequent foreign websites, which are available to citizens via the internet.

With new technology and the widespread availability of mobile phones, online gambling is becoming the choice for bettors across the country. From technologically advanced online casinos to sophisticated bookmaker operations, betting establishments are investing millions to excel in a competitive online betting marketplace.

Which is the most popular form of betting in Romania?

One of the most popular forms of gambling in Romania is Poker. Sports betting and slots are also games of choice. Romanian citizens enjoy gambling. As evidenced by the multi-billion-dollar market, players flock to casinos, parlors, and online websites to wager daily.

Are gamblers in Romania arrested?

No. Unlike some countries, Romania invites both domestic and foreign operators to offer legal and licensed gambling services to citizens. The lenient gambling laws and regulations support a strong, prolific gambling landscape in the country. Nationals are free to place bets domestically and internationally via online access. Enforcement generally involves the governing body requiring operators to obtain the required license and follow operation requirements for licensing. The National Gambling Office punishes owners of establishments not operating legally according to the legal statutes.

How does Romania’s gambling agency benefit its citizens?

Romania established the National Gambling Office to root out unethical practices and manage gambling oversight. Legislators passed laws to regulate an out-of-control industry, which operated with little to no regulation for years. Now, licensed operations must adhere high standards to ensure transparency, fairness, and integrity.

The purpose of Romania’s National Gambling Office is to provide domestic gamblers with fair, safe, and legal opportunities to place wagers. Finally, revenue from betting establishments help to generate money for the country’s budget. Romania seeks to attract and maintain domestic and foreign gaming operators who offer citizens enjoyable betting opportunities, in part, because the extra money helps to pay for public expenses.

What do you do if a person is addicted to gambling?

Operators are required to contribute 5,000 EUR to help prevent gambling addiction. Licensed casinos and sportsbooks offer information about agencies, which assist those with gambling addiction problems. Some more advanced casinos integrate technological advances with the gaming software and may warn a player, if he is exhibiting addictive or obsessive gambling behaviors.

Although experts estimate that a significant percentage of Romanian citizens have an addiction problem, the government has not instituted significant reforms to address gambling addiction yet. For these reasons, self-monitoring is important while gambling. Signs of addiction include inability to stop playing, spending excessive amounts of money, and erratic behavior. If experiencing similar behaviors, contact the National Gambling Office for a referral to an agency or Gambler’s Anonymous International for assistance.

FAQs